Robert Pinsky celebrates poetry at 3 free events in Houston

Robert Pinsky, whose own poems range from the historic to the confessional, figured out a way to bring poetry to the people.

As U.S. poet laureate (1997-2000), Pinsky launched the Favorite Poem Project, an open call to all Americans to share their favorite poems. A staggering 18,000 people responded and, today, the project is thriving in print, video and online.

“Poetry is a sort of stepchild in the art world, yet it’s as diverse in its range as music and visual art,” says Fran Sanders, whose local nonprofit, Public Poetry, is hosting Pinsky’s visit. Public Poetry brings poems to people through events and partnerships with schools, libraries and museums.

On Tuesday (9/8) evening, Pinsky will read selections of his poems at the University of Houston-Downtown ( 1 Main, Robertson Auditorium, third floor Academic Building). On Thursday (9/10) at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston ( Brown Auditorium, 1001 Bissonnet), he’ll kick off the publication of a new anthology, “Art Becomes Poetry,” which pairs winning poems from an ekphrastic poetry competition with the artwork on which they were based. The competition, held earlier this year, was organized by Public Poetry in partnership with the MFAH and the poems were selected by Pinsky and four other poets.